Comparison

Ref Tools vs Abound Insights Assistant

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ref Tools

This app provides HVACR technicians with essential tools and information for field service. It includes refrigerant calculators, troubleshooting guides, product finders, and access to spare parts. Listen to educational podcasts to enhance your knowledge on the go.

Highlights
  • Refrigerant Slider for P/T calculations
  • Solenoid valve coil testing tool
  • Refrigeration system troubleshooting guide
  • Product data finder
  • Spare parts ordering
  • Low-GWP refrigerant comparison
  • TXV Superheat optimization
  • Educational podcasts
Features
Read full description

Get the guidance, support, information, and tools you need—on the job and in the field. Ref Tools is a free, powerful app that contains essential tools every HVACR technician needs in their digital toolbelt. Ref Tools offers a collection of useful air conditioning and refrigeration tools: Refrigerant Slider As a featured part of Ref Tools, you get all the features and functionality that made Refrigerant Slider a hit with millions of installers around the world. Quickly calculate pressure/temperature ratios and find essential information on over 80 refrigerants. Magnetic Tool Test and troubleshoot solenoid valve coils quickly and easily. Troubleshooter Get help diagnosing issues in refrigeration systems, so you can quickly identify symptoms and find recommended solutions. Product Finder Find extensive product-related data in one place. Search by product code number or product category to access and share product specifications, documentation, visuals, and more. Spare Parts Access and order an extensive list of Danfoss spare parts and service kits for air conditioning and refrigeration applications. Low-GWP Tool Find and compare climate-friendly refrigerants for retrofitting by checking compatibility with the TXV. TXV Superheat Tuner Optimize superheat in less than 15 minutes. Using advanced algorithms, TXV Superheat Tuner provides valve-specific adjustment recommendations. Podcasts The workday can be full and the road long, so Ref Tools also provides you with some educational entertainment. You can listen to podcasts, including the popular Chilling with Jens podcast, directly in the app. So, take a break and chill out a bit while learning something new about refrigeration. More about Refrigerant Slider Refrigerant Slider, now a part of Ref Tools, helps you quickly calculate the pressure-to-temperature ratio for more than 80 refrigerants, including natural refrigerants such as ammonia and transcritical CO2. Refrigerant Slider also provides you with information about each refrigerant, including Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP). You can switch between the IPCC AR4 and AR5 values, where AR4 values are used in relation to the European F-Gas regulations. Refrigerant Slider’s P/T calculations use extended curve–fitting models based on Refprop 10 results. You can also see both dew and bubble point for refrigerants with glide. Streamline your workflow Ref Tools goes beyond just providing quick access to helpful tools; it helps you save time by allowing you to track your most visited service sites and save unique settings for each one. Simplify each service call with ease. Feedback Your input matters – we would love to hear it from you. We're committed to continuously improving Ref Tools to meet your needs. If you encounter a bug or have a feature suggestion, please use the in-app feedback function available in Settings. Alternatively, you can reach us via email at coolapp@danfoss.com. Danfoss Climate Solutions At Danfoss Climate Solutions, we engineer energy-efficient solutions to help the world get more out of less. Our innovative products and solutions enable a decarbonized, digital, and more sustainable tomorrow, and our technology supports a cost-efficient transition to renewable energy sources. With a strong foundation in quality, people, and the climate, we drive the energy, refrigerant, and food system transitions needed to achieve climate goals. Read more about us at www.danfoss.com. Terms and Conditions apply for use of the app.

About

Abound Insights Assistant

This AI-powered assistant analyzes equipment behavior to predict failures and optimize performance. It provides actionable recommendations for facility managers and technicians to improve energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and reduce maintenance costs.

Highlights
  • AI-powered equipment analysis
  • Predictive failure recommendations
  • Optimize equipment performance
  • Prioritize maintenance tasks
  • Generate proactive worklists
  • Monitor portfolio health
  • Assistant-enabled workorders
Features
Read full description

Please visit the Carrier Abound YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQYQ-LMRKzVjXUEASvmk9Q) to view demo videos showcasing features of the Abound Insights Assistant mobile application. The Abound Insights platform has been built on the belief that well-operated and maintained equipment will perform efficiently and thereby enable achieving desired business goals. The Abound Insights platform focuses on analyzing equipment behavior and providing early recommendations to prevent failures and manage equipment performance. By keeping the equipment as the focal point, and optimizing how they are operated and proactively maintained, the platform enables businesses to achieve several goals such as improving energy efficiency, enhancing occupant comfort, enhancing food or product safety, and reducing maintenance costs. The Abound Insights Assistant mobile application brings this focus on the equipment into action. It empowers users such as building facility managers or portfolio managers as well as technicians or service provider personnel who repair and maintain equipment, to be more productive and address issues quickly before they manifest into larger problems. With an AI assistant for each connected equipment category, the Abound Insights platform: • Understands the context (such as weather, time of day, and building occupancy) in which the equipment operates in • Understands how that change of context affects equipment performance This comprehension of the context enables the platform to: • Quickly identify an issue • Accurately predict the impact of the problem on equipment performance • Precisely recommend the appropriate action to be taken, in simple language With the app, Facility Managers can: 1) Prioritize and triage predictive maintenance and energy efficiency recommendations generated between different trades (HVAC, Controls, electrical etc.) including remote and field skill groups. 2) Generate proactive worklists as workorders and digitally validate work completion and parts usage. 3) Monitor equipment portfolio health and efficiency opportunity realization progress for budget and workforce allocation planning. With the app, Technicians can: 1. Receive assistant enabled workorders with repair recommendations. 2. Review recommendations, live data, repair and parts history and then plan current repairs with parts to carry. 3. Add repairs, scan in parts used and export them as service notes to a work order system with digital validation of work effectiveness. The app significantly simplifies the activities of maintenance technicians and their supervisors with its intuitive workflow. Building managers can use the insights provided by the app to take preemptive measures and plan resources, thereby preventing failures, and avoiding situations that compromise efficiency, building occupant comfort or product safety. All of this can be done across an entire portfolio of connected buildings and equipment. Connect and transform your building equipment operations and maintenance with the Abound Insights platform. This app is currently available as part of the Abound Predictive Insights SaaS offering and the Abound managed services offerings from Carrier. To know more, visit abound.carrier.com/en/aboundinsights/ or reach out to us at aboundinsights@carrier.com. For support and feedback along with the app feedback, you can also write to us at aboundinsights.support@carrier.com. Note: Product names, logos, brands, trademarks, registered trademarks, and service marks are property of their respective owners. Company, product and service names used are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement.

Screenshots

Ref Tools4 screens
Abound Insights Assistant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Abound Insights Assistant at 100% against Ref Tools's 58%. Abound Insights Assistant also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.9) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). Ref Tools's advantage is ratings volume (52 vs 6) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Abound Insights Assistant holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ref Tools has 52 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Ref Tools's written reviews are positive against 100% of Abound Insights Assistant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ref Tools ships an update monthly, Abound Insights Assistant fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ref Tools versus Abound Insights Assistant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRef ToolsAbound Insights Assistant
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (52 ratings)4.3 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings52 — better6
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDanfoss A/SECOENERGY INSIGHTS LIMITED

Customer experience

Ref Tools

All ratings52 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral3.8%
Negative23.1%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive57.6%
Neutral7.6%
Negative34.8%

Abound Insights Assistant

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ref Tools

Reported bugs

27 issues
  • CRASHED instantly on Mac Mini M4
  • App won’t open on iPhone
  • App flashes up and disappears
  • Cannot open app
  • Immediately shuts off since recent release
Show 22 more
  • Crash au lancement since update
  • Will not save to Home Screen
  • Incorrect PT Charting for r134a
  • Information doesn’t slide down
  • Crashes on iOS12.1.4
  • App won’t open since previous update
  • List of refrigerants shifted upwards on iPhone 10
  • Stuck on R134a, needs update for current iOS
  • R744A only goes to 60 psi
  • Scale did not go low enough for deep vacuum
  • Missing R22 on Apple version
  • Missing R717 (Ammonia)
  • Missing R-22
  • Missing R124a
  • No longer lists Ammonia
  • Missing Refrigerants since app update
  • Missing Ammonia and CO2
  • r410a is missing since update
  • Removed r22, 410a, and 407c
  • Refrigerants missing now
  • Removed slider for ammonia
  • Scale doesn't go into vacuum

Requested features

18 requests
  • More residential AC information
  • Troubleshooter for Residential & Commercial
  • Add SP22 refrigerant
  • Add R-11 refrigerant
  • Add R-123 range down to 40 degrees
Show 13 more
  • Add R744 and R744A to 0 psia
  • Scale to go lower for R-123 vacuum
  • Add R410a
  • Add R407c
  • Add R404A
  • Add R22
  • Add R124a
  • Add Ammonia
  • Add CO2
  • Add R717 (Ammonia)
  • Scale going higher on CO2
  • Setting for high altitude
  • Scale to go into vacuum

Abound Insights Assistant

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ref Tools

No in-app purchases

None

Abound Insights Assistant

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ref Tools free?
Ref Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Abound Insights Assistant free?
Abound Insights Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ref Tools or Abound Insights Assistant?
Abound Insights Assistant is rated higher. Ref Tools averages 3.9 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Abound Insights Assistant averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Ref Tools or Abound Insights Assistant have ads?
Neither Ref Tools nor Abound Insights Assistant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ref Tools or Abound Insights Assistant?
Ref Tools ships an update monthly, and Abound Insights Assistant fortnightly. Most recently, Ref Tools was updated on October 24, 2026 and Abound Insights Assistant on October 24, 2026.

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